Select Committee told charging for basic police work is not ok

The Public Service Association (PSA) told the Law and Order Select Committee today that the prospect of the Police being able to charge for basic criminal checks could financially hurt many community and public sector organisations.

Richard Wagstaff, PSA national secretary, said “The Bill would allow Police to charge for criminal checks at the same time as the Vulnerable Children Act requires more organisations to conduct those same checks,”

“The significant additional cost this Bill would create for community groups could force some to significantly scale back their work.

“Allowing the police to charge for basic services will fundamentally change the relationship between citizens and the police and this would require significant public debate rather than a simple select committee process.

“As promoting children’s safety is a key aspect of the Vulnerable Children Act, it would be senseless to weaken that by requiring organisations to pay to assure that protection.

“If Police funding is insufficient, more should be allocated in Budget 2015, rather than taking money from community organisations and the rest of the state sector,” said Richard Wagstaff.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Policing (Cost Recovery) Amendment Bill - submission to the Law and Order Select Committee